Seed-conveyer for cotton-gins



(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-$heet 1 R. S. MUN-GER. SEED GONVEYERFOR'GOTTONGINS.

Patented Mar.3,1896.

ANDREW BYGRAHAM PHUTU-LITHQWASHIRGTUMDC,

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

R. S. MUNGER' SEED CONVEYER FOR COTTON GINS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1896.

ANDREW B GRAHAMJMOTO LUHO WASHINGTDNDC I lhvirnn STATES ArENr @rricE.

ROBERT S. MUNGER, OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA.

SEED-CQNVEYER FOR COTTON-GINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,789, dated March 3,1896 Application filed March 31,1891. Serial No. 387,179. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, ROBERT S. MUNGER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Birmin gham, in the county of Jefferson and State ofAlabama, have invented new and useful Improvements in Seed-Oonveyers forCotton- Gins, of which the following is a specification.

It is the purpose of my present invention to provide simple meanswhereby the cottonseed which is separated from the cotton by the gin orgins may be carried from the point or points where such separation takesplace to one or more distant points and deposited either in suitablebins for storage or placed in cars or other suitable vehicles fortransportation.

It is my further purpose to simplify and improve the conveying apparatuswhereby it may be rendered applicable to the removal from point to pointof any refuse or other matter without the same being driven through thefan or blower, to provide novel and simple cut-offs adapted to theseveral purposes specified, and to provide mechanism by which the seedcoming from the gins may be blown either to the bins where it is stored,to a car standing upon a track outside the building, or to a wagon orother receptacle suitable for the purpose.

The invention consists of the several novel features of construction andnew combination of elements hereinafter fully set forth and thendefinitely pointed out in the claims concluding this specification.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my said invention Iwill now describe the same in detail, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa View of a cotton-ginninghouse, partly broken away to show the interior construction, the lattercomprising an end elevation of the series of gins, an elevation of thepneumatic cotton.- conveyor, 2. fan or blower, the vacuum-box, theseed-carrying pipes, the seed vacuum-feeder, and their severalconnections. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section showing one form ofseed-feeder, whereby the blast is maintained in the seed conveyor orpipe, and whereby, also, dust or other foreign matter is prevented frombeing blown back through the mechanism. Fig. 3

is a similar detail section showing a slight modification inconstruction. Fig. 4 is a detail section showing my improved apparatusfor carrying the seed from the seed-flue beneath the hoppers into theseed-conduit. Fig. 5 is a similar section showing a modification of theparts shown in Fig. 4.

In the saiddrawings the reference-numeral 1 denotes the ginning-house,within which is arranged a gin or series of gins 2, supplied b y adistributer 3. This distributer'is fed by a vacuum-box 4., whichreceives the cotton through a pneumatic conveyer 5, in which a suctionis maintained by an air-current-creating device, preferably a fan 6, incommunication with the vacuum-box. conveyer may communicate by aflexible joint with a telescoping drop-pipe 7 or with a cottonconveyerleading to a distant cotto11- house, or with both, as shown in thepatent granted me December 2, 188 1, No. 308,790, whereby the cotton maybe taken from different points and drawn by the suction-blast to thevacuum-box and distributor. As this construction forms no part of mypresent invention, and is fully shown and described in my former patentreferred to, it is not necessary to give any further description thereofin this specification.

The construction of the vacuum box, through which the cotton passes fromthe conveyer-pipe to the distributor, and the manner of connecting thevacuu1n-boX with the distribute]? are novel features, which have allbeen fully set forth in other applications made by me of even dateherewith and numbered in serial, respectively, 387 ,17 8 and 387,180,and are therefore not herein claimed.

The two applications named have become merged in Letters Patentnumbered, respectively, 478, 883, dated July 12,1892,and 509,759, datedNovember 28, 1893.

Arranged at suitable points with reference to the gins, where more thanone gin is employed, are seed-hoppers 8, so situate-d as to readilyreceive the cotton-seed as'it is discharged from the gins. These hopperscommunicate with a seed-flue 9, which may be, and which preferably is,common to all the hoppers. Beneath the hopper 8 is arranged aseed-feeder, comprising a chamber 10, within which is arranged a centralshaft 12, having wings or flexible strips 13 projecting ra- Thepneumatic dially from the surface, their edges forming a close fitagainst the inner surface of the seed-feeder 10'. The number of thesewings is such that one, two, or more are always in engagement with theinner surface of the seed-feeder 10 upon both sides of the openingpassing centrally through said feeder, whereby any dust or other foreignmatter which may be intermingled with the seed when delivered into theseed-conduit 14 will be prevented from being blown back through thefeeder, and whereby also the exhaustblast of the fan or blower ispreserved in the seed-conduit, and avoiding any loss of power of suchexhaust which would otherwise occur by the escape of air through saidfeeder in the seed-conduit at all times and under all circumstances. Theseed-flue 9 communicates at a suitable point with a pneumaticseed-conduit '14, passing beneath the seedfeeder 10 and communicatingtherewith by a suitable opening, said conduit being extended to anysuitable point or points and provided with a forced current of air fromthe fan 0, or other suitable device, by which the seed is driven, drawn,or carried to any suitable point or points, as set forth hereinafter.\Vhere two, three, or more gins are used a device of some kind must beemployed to carry the seed from the points where it enters the seed-fluefrom the hoppers to the point where it is discharged from the seed.-flue into the seed-conduit.

The fan box or casing 6 communicates with a blast-fiue or air-box 15,which passes from the point of communication downward and is firstcurved and carried beneath the gins and then curved toward and united tothe seedconduit 14, with which it communicates. From this point ofcommunication the seedconduit may be extended to any suitable outhouseor other shelter, within or under which a wagon can be driven-such, forexample, as that shown at 1 in the drawings. This end is preferablyprovided with a telescoping prolongation 16, provided with a curve 17,by which its discharge end is directed downward, and the convex surfaceof the curve is either perforated or formed of forami'nous material.

It will be seen that as the seeds are swept through the prolongationthey will be driven with force over this perforated surface, which isinclosed by a hood 18, having communication with a chimney or flue 19,through which a considerable portion of the air driven through theconveyer escapes, thereby carrying off the dust and more finely-dividedimpurities, which pass up the chimney and escape outside. To thedischarge end of the curve 17 is attached a sack 20, of any suitableflexible material, its open mouth lying upon or near the floor of thewagon to prevent the rebound and loss of the seed.

Between the telescoping prolongation and the point where the blast-flue15 unites with the seed-conveyer 14 I prefer to curve the lat ter upwardto provide a section or portion are formed perforations or openings,beneath which is arranged a chest 15, usually divided into a series ofcompartments. The perforations in the conveyer are of such size as toprevent the seed from dropping through, but will permit the passage ofsmall particles of foreign matter, such as sand, gravel, the. Thesesubstances are caught in the chest and may be removed therefrom by anysuitable means.

From the point where the seed-conduit 14 is joined by the blast-flue 15it is usually extended in both directions, the direction of travel ofthe seed being controlled bya suitable valve 24, one portion passinginto the shed or outhouse 1, as described, and a11- other portionrunning in the opposite direction to the bins, which, as shown in Fig.1, are placed on the same floor with the gins, but in a separate room orbuilding. Here the conduit unites with a horizontal branch 21, whichpasses through the bin-compartment and is carried out of the building,its end being provided with a telescoping pipe or discharge portion 22,which may be inserted in a car or other vehicle. Communicatingwith thisbranch conduit 21 at any proper point is a standing pipe 23, the pointof communication being opened and closed by a valve 24, operated by avalve-rod 25. The lower end of the standing pipe is curved or turnedslightly toward the direction from which the seed is received, so thatthe latter may pass easily from the branch conduit 21 when the valve isproperly arranged. The upper portion of the stand-pipe is curved to ahalf-circle, or nearly so, and swiveled upon the body portion, so thatit may be swung around from point to point to discharge the seed intoany one of a series of bins or other receptacles.

A second and substantially similar standing pipe 23 may open laterallyfrom the branch conduit 21 and be used to discharge seed into a bin. Theupper end of this pipe may be curved also, the convex face of such curvebeing perforated or formed of foraminous material, inclosed by a hood orby a portion of a chimney or flue 26, the construction being similar tothat already set forth in connection with the prolongation 16 and hood18.

I have shown in Fig. 2 one form of construction by which the seeddelivered from the gin or gins may be carried out of the seed-flue 9into the seed-conduit. In this figure the section is taken at the end ofthe seed-flue next to the seed-conduit 14. here there is a plurality ofgins and gin-hoppers 8, the seed-flue must be of sufficient length andthe seed will be most conveniently carried to one end and dischargedinto the conveyer 14. In order to carry the seed from the point orpoints where it is delivered thereinto by the hopper or hoppers 8, Iprovide a worm or screw conveyer carried by a shaft 28, extending fromend to end of and within the seed-flue and driven by a pulley 30, asshown in Fig. 4. This seed-flue discharges into the seed-feeder 10, andfrom the latter into the seed-conduit 14:, the seed-feeder or cut-offserving to prevent inru sh of air which would impair the force of theblast, and also to prevent the dust and other foreign matter which mayaccompany the cottonseed from being blown back into the seed-flue.YVhere a single gin only'is usedthe seed-flue may be omitted, and wherethe seed is dropped upon the iioor it may be swept into a hopper 8,having its mouth level with the floor, as in Fig. 3.

I may arrange the seed-feeder or cut-oil 10 at the end of the said fine,as in Fig. i, or in the center as in Fig. 5, and in the latter case theworm or screw shaft will be duplex, the two portions 29 being mounted onthe same shaft 28, their pitch being opposite, so that both will feedtoward the center.

It will be seen that the exhaust of the fans (3, whose suction draws orconveys the cotton to the gins, drives or blows the seed through theconduit 14 to the place or places where such seed is to be stored ordeposited.

In machines provided with my improved devices for conveying the seedfrom the gins to the places of storage or transportation hereinbeforereferred to, but having means for conveying the seed-cotton to the ginsunlike those herein illustrated and described, it may be found essentialto provide an aircreating current or blast-fan which shall not be incommunication with the mechanism for delivering the seed-cotton to thegins, an d in such cases a blast-fan 6 is arranged in a casing locatedat one end of the seed-conduit lat, as seen in Fig.

It will be observed that the construction and arrangement of a screw forconveying the seed to the conduit is a distinguishing feature of myinvention, and as the screw is journaled at each end and made of stoutstifi metal all sagging during the operation of said screw is avoided,and during the action of said screw a uniform and positive force feed orconductor of the seed to the conduit is secured.

\Vhat I claim is- 1. In a cotton feeding, cleaning, conveying andginning apparatus, the combination with one or more gins, of adistributer supplying the same, a vacuum-box communicating with thedistributer, a seed-conduit, a seed hopper or hoppers havingcommunication with the seed-conduit, means for driving the seed throughsaid conduit, a delivery spout, or tube, receiving the seed from theconduit,

and having a plurality of outlets, and means bywhich said outlets areclosed and opened relatively to the seed-conduit substantially asdescribed.

2. In an apparatus for handling seed-cotton, the combination with aseries of gins, of seed-hoppers beneath the gins, and a seedfluecommunicating therewith, of a seed-conduit supplied with a blast, andhaving a curved, perforated or foraminous, convex portion upon itscurved discharging end, a hood covering said perforated portion and achimney leading from said hood, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for handling seed-cotton, the combination with thegins having seedhoppers, of a seed-flue beneath said hoppers, a worm orscrew conveyer traveling within said fine, a seed-conduit arrangedbeneath the seed-flue in which the seed drops, and means for maintaininga blast within said conduit, substantially as described.

4:. In a ginning mechanism, the combination with a pneumaticseed-conduit, and one or more gin-stands, of a cut-off, or seed-feederlocated in operative relation to said pneumatic seed-conduit, anair-current-creating device, a seed-flue receiving the seed. from thegin stand or stands, and a screw conveyer within said seed-flue forconveying the seed to the pneumatic seed-conduit, substantially asdescribed.

5. In an apparatus for handling seed-cot ton, the combination with aseries of gins, of seed-hoppers beneath the gins and a seedfluecommunicating therewith, of a seed-conduit supplied with a blast andhaving a curved, perforated or foraminous convex portion upon its curveddischarging end, a hood covering said perforated portion, a chimneyleading from said hood, and one or more branch pipes, or conduits,opening from the main conduits and provided with valves, substantiallyas described.

(3. Ina cotton-feeding, dust-separating, and ginning apparatus, thecombination with one or more gins of a seed-conduit, a seed-flue havingcommunication with the seed-boxes of the gin or gins and with theseed-conduit, a fan to create an air-current to drive the seed throughthe seed-conduit, a screw conveyer within the seed-flue, and a pluralityof outlets communicating with the seed-conduit said outlets havingvalve-controlled communication with the seedconduit, whereby the seedcan be delivered at any one of a plurality of points, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

ROBERT S. MUNGIJR.

\Vitn esses:

'lrros. IIARDEMAN, D. O. BUoKsHAw.

